GAA Doping & Implantation Patent Landscape 2026
The GAA doping and implantation space is dominated by two players — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and IBM — who together hold the large majority of filings among the top hundred applicants, with the United States as the near-exclusive filing jurisdiction. Annual filing volume has eased from its 2019 peak, signaling a field transitioning from rapid build-out toward selective, targeted innovation.
TSMC and IBM lead a highly concentrated field
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company holds the top position in GAA doping and implantation with 257 patent families, followed by IBM with 178 patent families. Applied Materials ranks third at 41 patent families, a significant step down from the top two.
The top five filers account for 82% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating extreme concentration. A clear tier gap separates TSMC and IBM from all other applicants, including STMicroelectronics International, Intel, and Samsung Electronics, each of whom holds fewer than 20 patent families.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) | 257 | |
| 2 | IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | 178 | |
| 3 | Applied Materials Inc | 41 | |
| 4 | STMicroelectronics International NV | 17 | |
| 5 | Intel Corporation | 16 | |
| 6 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 14 | |
| 7 | GlobalFoundries US Inc | 9 | |
| 8 | Qualcomm Inc | 9 | |
| 9 | Parabellum Strategic Opportunities Fund LLC | 7 | |
| 10 | KOREA ADVANCED INST OF SCI & TECH | 6 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Atomera Inc | 6 | |
| 12 | Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 5 | |
| 13 | IMEC (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre) | 5 | |
| 14 | Tokyo Electron Ltd | 5 | |
| 15 | National Taiwan University | 4 | |
| 16 | STMicroelectronics Inc | 4 | |
| 17 | University of Notre Dame | 2 | |
| 18 | IBM Deutschland GmbH | 2 | |
| 19 | Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Beijing) Corporation | 2 | |
| 20 | Elpis Technologies Inc | 2 |
TSMC’s and IBM’s dominant positions reflect deep integration of GAA doping and implantation IP into their core process development roadmaps; any new entrant or challenger must navigate a dense prior-art landscape anchored by these two organizations.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and are likely under-counted; figures from 2024 onward should be interpreted with that in mind. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2019 filing surge has moderated; semiconductor device claims dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend and IPC technology composition together reveal a field that peaked sharply in 2019 and has since settled into lower but still consistent activity, concentrated almost entirely within semiconductor device classifications.
Annual filing trend
Filings surged to a peak of 105 in 2019, then eased to the 72–88 range through 2022–2023 before declining further. The 2024 count of 61 and the near-zero 2025 figure reflect publication lag rather than a real collapse; the underlying multi-year window still represents meaningful sustained activity.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (Semiconductor devices) is the dominant IPC class with 603 records, followed by H10D (Semiconductor devices, general) at 263 records. Memory device manufacture (H10B, 42 records) and nanotechnology applications (B82Y, 33 records) are the next largest branches, with all other classes accounting for a small fraction of the corpus.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Leakage control for gate-all-around field-effect t…
Techniques are provided to fabricate embedded insulating layers within an active semiconductor layer of substrate to reduce leakage between field-effect transistor devices and the semiconductor substrate. For example, an epitaxial semiconductor layer is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. An ion implantation process is performed to form an… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metal gate of gate-all-around transistor | 141 |
| 2 | Sub-fin isolation schemes for gate-all-around tran… | 140 |
| 3 | Vertical gate-all-around field effect transistors … | 139 |
| 4 | Gate-all-around field-effect transistor devices ha… | 133 |
| 5 | Gate-all-around semiconductor device and process f… | 130 |
| 6 | Perfectly symmetric gate-all-around FET on suspend… | 125 |
| 7 | Silicon-on-insulator gate-all-around mosfet fabric… | 121 |
| 8 | Formation of self-limited inner spacer for gate-al… | 114 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the IP structure means for R&D investment decisions
The concentration pattern, lifecycle stage, collaboration network, and geographic footprint each carry distinct implications for teams evaluating entry, partnership, or differentiation strategies in GAA doping and implantation.
Post-peak: field transitioning from build-out to targeted development
Annual filing volume has eased from its 2019 peak of 105 families, placing this field in a decline stage by filing-volume measure. This does not indicate obsolescence — GAA transistors remain a leading-edge node technology — but it does suggest that the core doping and implantation claim space is increasingly well-covered. R&D investment is more likely to yield differentiated IP in adjacent or underserved sub-branches than in the central device-structure claims.
Lifecycle: Post-peakExtreme two-player dominance with a wide tier gap
The top five filers hold 82% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, and two organizations — TSMC and IBM — account for the vast majority of that share. The tier below (Applied Materials at 41 families, STMicroelectronics International at 17, Intel at 16) is sharply smaller. New entrants face a dense prior-art environment in the core semiconductor device classifications and should map freedom-to-operate carefully before committing process R&D budgets.
High concentrationLimited co-filing; IBM is the most active collaboration hub
The most active co-filing pair is TSMC and National Taiwan University with 4 joint patent families, reflecting an industry-academia link around advanced node research. IBM is the central node in the collaboration network, appearing in joint filings with IBM Deutschland, GlobalFoundries, IBM China, STMicroelectronics, and IBM United Kingdom (1–2 families each). Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology co-filed 2 families with the Centre for Integrated Smart Sensors Foundation. Overall, collaboration density is low relative to the corpus size, suggesting that most IP is being developed and protected unilaterally.
Low collaboration densityUS-centric filing with minimal international diversification
The United States accounts for 555 patent records, making it effectively the sole primary filing jurisdiction. WIPO PCT filings (17 records) and EPO filings (16 records) represent a small fraction of the total, with India (6 records), Israel (4 records), South Korea (2 records), Singapore (2 records), and China (1 record) adding marginal coverage. The near-exclusive US focus suggests that IP holders may have incomplete protection in high-volume manufacturing jurisdictions such as South Korea, Taiwan, and China — a potential exposure for those building global supply-chain strategies.
US-dominantGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) | National Taiwan University | 4 |
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | IBM Deutschland GmbH | 2 |
| Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | Centre for Integrated Smart Sensors Foundation | 2 |
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | GlobalFoundries Inc | 1 |
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | IBM China Co Ltd | 1 |
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | STMicroelectronics Inc | 1 |
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | IBM United Kingdom Ltd | 1 |
| STMicroelectronics Inc | GlobalFoundries Inc | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
TSMC leads on volume; IBM holds the strongest challenger position with declining momentum
The two-tier structure is clear: TSMC and IBM are in a category of their own by family count, while Applied Materials is the most momentum-positive filer among the secondary tier.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
TSMC holds 257 patent families, the largest portfolio in this space. Its technology emphasis spans H01L 29 (263 records), H01L 21 (198 records), and H01L 27 (135 records) — all within the core semiconductor device classification, reflecting deep integration of GAA doping and implantation into its leading-edge process IP. Recent momentum shows a moderate decline of 10% versus the prior period, consistent with a maturing core portfolio rather than an exit from the field.
families: 257IBM (International Business Machines Corporation)
IBM holds 178 patent families and is the most active collaboration hub in the space, with joint filings involving IBM Deutschland, GlobalFoundries, IBM China, STMicroelectronics, and IBM United Kingdom. Its technology focus mirrors TSMC’s — H01L 29 (181 records), H01L 21 (119 records), and H10D 62 (79 records) — but its recent momentum shows a sharp decline of 66% versus the prior period, indicating a significant pullback in new GAA doping and implantation filings. Applied Materials, ranked third at 41 patent families, is the standout momentum story with a 142% increase in recent filings.
families: 178| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) | 114 | ▼ -10% |
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | 34 | ▼ -66% |
| Applied Materials Inc | 29 | ▲ +142% |
| Intel Corporation | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Qualcomm Inc | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Atomera Inc | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| GlobalFoundries US Inc | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant semiconductor device core
Five IPC branches sit at notably lower filing densities relative to the dominant H01L and H10D classes. Two of these are technically adjacent to GAA doping and implantation and warrant attention as potential areas for differentiated filings.
H10B · Memory device manufacture
With 42 records, memory device manufacture is the largest of the lower-density branches relative to the core. GAA transistor architectures are increasingly being evaluated for 3D DRAM and embedded memory applications, where precise doping profiles are critical. The sparse filing density here — compared to the 603-record H01L core — suggests that memory-specific GAA doping claims remain underexplored. Teams with process know-how in both GAA integration and memory cell design may find room to establish differentiated positions, though the dominant applicants could extend into this space rapidly.
Search this in Eureka →B82Y · Nanotechnology applications
The B82Y nanotechnology classification holds 33 records, representing approximately 3% of the corpus by IPC record count. As GAA architectures scale toward nanosheet and forksheet geometries, nanotechnology-specific claiming strategies — covering quantum confinement effects on dopant distribution, atomic-layer doping, and nanosheet channel engineering — remain relatively sparse. Researchers working on sub-3nm node physics and materials may find this an accessible adjacent branch, particularly given its overlap with the B82Y 10 subclass already visible in Samsung Electronics’ portfolio.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01L 29 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 27 · Semiconductor devices | H10D 62 · Semiconductor devices (general) | H10D 64 · Semiconductor devices (general) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) | Strong · 263 | Strong · 198 | Strong · 135 | Moderate · 107 | Moderate · 113 |
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | Strong · 181 | Strong · 119 | Moderate · 78 | Moderate · 79 | Moderate · 70 |
| Applied Materials Inc | Strong · 39 | Strong · 27 | Moderate · 9 | Moderate · 10 | Moderate · 11 |
| STMicroelectronics Inc | Strong · 22 | Moderate · 11 | Strong · 13 | Moderate · 9 | Moderate · 9 |
| Intel Corporation | Strong · 16 | Strong · 10 | Moderate · 7 | Strong · 12 | Strong · 12 |
| Qualcomm Inc | Strong · 9 | Strong · 9 | Strong · 9 | Moderate · 3 | Moderate · 2 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Strong · 12 | Absent | Emerging · 2 | Emerging · 2 | Moderate · 4 |
Frequently asked questions
The evidence corpus covers 560 patent families in GAA doping and implantation, based on the PatSnap Eureka dataset analyzed for this report.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company holds the largest portfolio with 257 patent families, followed by IBM with 178 patent families. These two organizations are in a category of their own relative to all other applicants.
Annual filings peaked in 2019 at 105 families, then eased to the 72–88 range through 2022–2023. The 2024 figure of 61 and the near-zero 2025 count reflect publication lag and should not be interpreted as a real collapse in activity.
The United States is the dominant filing jurisdiction with 555 patent records. WIPO PCT (17 records) and EPO (16 records) filings are a distant second and third, with India, Israel, South Korea, Singapore, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom each holding fewer than 10 records.
Applied Materials is the strongest momentum story among established players, with a 142% increase in recent filings versus the prior period. Intel, Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm, Atomera, and GlobalFoundries US are all classified as new entrants in the recent period. By contrast, IBM shows a 66% decline in recent filings and TSMC shows a moderate 10% decline.
The lower-density IPC branches relative to the dominant H01L core include H10B (memory device manufacture, 42 records), B82Y (nanotechnology applications, 33 records), H10P (20 records), C30B (crystal growth, 7 records), and H01J (electron and discharge tubes, 6 records). Memory-specific and nanotechnology-framed GAA doping claims appear most technically plausible as adjacent areas for differentiated filings.
Ready to map your own GAA doping and implantation landscape?
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.